ZKsync Bolsters EraVM Security Ahead of Atlas Upgrade

ZKsync developer Matter Labs has launched a security-hardening program for chains running its EraVM execution environment, which will be retired within six months. The company said funds held in ordinary externally owned accounts require no action, while assets in smart contracts will need steps and dates that will be published in the coming weeks.

The five changes outlined by Matter Labs include raising the execution delay from three hours to 24 hours, giving teams more time to detect and respond to an exploit before finalization. They are also working with every active EraVM chain to run an independent second node that confirms each executed batch, making it harder for attackers to compromise.

Matter Labs will publish covered Era protocol code three months after an upgrade ships, instead of immediately, to avoid handing attackers an advantage on frozen code. Independent auditors will keep continuous access, and the company is developing EraBender, an Airbender-based prover that would run alongside Boojum.

The retirement of EraVM is due to changes in the threat landscape brought about by artificial intelligence, making public, permissionless blockchains attractive targets for autonomous exploit discovery. The Atlas upgrade runs EVM natively and will be where new protocol development takes place.